Noninterference apparatus



1933- c. SJJENNINGS ET AL NONINTERFERENCE APPARATUS Filed Sept. 20, 1950 inventors. Chester S.-.Je7zni control mechanism Patented Aug. 29, 1933- 1,924,556. NONINTERFERENCE APPARATUS Chester 8; Jenningsv and Louis E. Dupuy,

Syracuse, N; Y., assignors to The Lamson Company, Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of Massa- 9 chusetts "Application September 20, 1930 Serial- No., 483,207 M Claims. 1(01. 198-41),

This invention relates to conveyor systems of the general type comprising main and branch conveyors or similar arrangements, providing junction points where material may be, delivered 5 from one conveyor to the other. In such systems it is possible for the articles (carriersfor example) to arrive at a junction pointsimultaneously, and thus to interfere with-the operation of the system. To avoid occurrences ofthis character, such systems have in some instances been equipped with apparatus for delaying the advance of 1 articles on one conveyor untilth intersection or junction is clear. a However, apparatus as heretofore provided for these purposes has not proven entirely satisfac tory for various reasons. It has been customary to effect this intercontrol by, transmitting the motion of a feeler, which cooperates with objects on one conveyor; and coacts through a mechani cal leverage with mechanism which moves or holds an obstruction in the path of articlesaapproaching the junction on the other, conveyor.

It not infrequently happens that due to spatial.

or structural requirements, the usually relatively large number of operating parts of such inter-, control systems must be increased-,-or some of again be made of special sizes or weights, in order to secure the proper action of such appa ratus. In still othercases the actio'nlofthe inter has been, ;relatively slow or slu ish. 3 Y

Objects of g the present invention are to provide improved apparatus ?of this character which is free from the aforementioned objectionablefeatures; to provide apparatus for these purposes which is readily adaptable to 'various positions without material alteration; to provide apparatus of this class which issensitive, quick and positive in action; to provide non-interference apparatus' of strong durable construction, consisting of few parts, which are relatively simple'and inexpensive to manufacture; and also to provide apparatus of the class described having an improved construction and arrangement of parts. 7

, Inthe drawing,

i Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a conveyor system equipped with one embodiment of this invention; ,Fig. 2 ,is a section taken substantially along the line2-2 of Fig. 1, with certain parts omitted for the purposes of illustration; v

, Fig. 3 is a side elevation of an operating lever and yoke shown in Fig.1; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively side and end elevations of the yoke shown in Figs. :1; and 3.

'11 pass through about to enter the; -intersection frornfthe main The features of the "invention areillustrated" in thedrawings as embodied in a systemcomprising belt conveyorslo, :11: having intersecting paths of movement, the main conveyor 10 passing above the branch conveyor 11; The main conveyor is provided with side frames 12. Likewise the branch conveyor is equipped with the side frames 13, which maybe of the usualconstruction A deflector '14 is mounted to pivot upon apost 16 carried by a'bracket 17 attached to the side frame ofthe'branch conveyor. A defie'ctor 14 is also of suflicierit length to extend obliquely across the intersection of thetwo con veyors so that the free end of the deflector may res against any suitablefixed abutment, the my ter being provided in this embodiment by. the side frame12 ofthe main conveyor q'Ihis deflector is freely movable from the position shown in Fig. l, to a position at one side of the main conveyor belt 10. Allart'icles approa'chingfthe intersection on the belt 11 are thus. deflected onto the belt 10 while articles approaching'on the belt the. intersection without inter; ference.

In order to avoid interference between articles arrivingfat the intersection "of the, main. andv branch conveyors, apparatus is provided for dc laying the advance of articles on the. branch con veyor until such time as articles. approaching or conveyor have advancedsufiiciently to clear-the intersection. I n this way-articlestravelling on the main conveyor are given. the right of way. over those arriving on theybranch conveyor. 1 The apparatus for delaying the advance. of articles on the branch conveyor comprises a vertically disposed rotarysshaft 18 mountedin upper. and lower radial bearings 19and421, and equipped with a thrust collar 22, which may ride on the lower bearing .21 and thus supportythe shaft in proper position. The radialbearings are mount ed upon any fixed portion- 0f the apparatuaas on the structural members23 and 24. An operv ating arm'26 isrotatably mounted on upper por A substantially U-shaped yoke member31- is fixedly mounted upon the shaft 18 with the arms a resilient means for transmitting force from theoperating arm 26 to the yoke 31.

The end of the operating arm 26 is provided with a boss 34which carries an adjusting screw 36. This screw is arranged to engage an abutment 37 pro- The screw and the yoke vided by the yoke. thereby constitute the opposed abutinents which are, engageable upon movement of the arm 26 in a counterclockwise direction to turn the yoke, and therefore the shaft 18 and the'lower arm- 28 carried thereby, in counterclockwise direction.-

The'arm 26 is normally urged in this direction by resilient means, such as the tension spring 38, which is attached to the arm 26, and ,to an eye 39 carried by an upright member 41 of the frame. A deflector guide 42 may also be arranged to direct articles toward the arresting mechanism and along the side of the conveyor on which this mechanism is disposed.

In order that the arm 28 may be advanced into the path of an article and thereby delay the progress of the same, while an article is approaching the intersection on'main conveyor 12 a feeler or rod member 43 is disposed 1on -gitudinal1y above this conveyor in the path of articles arriving thereon. Preferably the ends of this rod are turned upwardly to avoid damage to the material being carried. As shown more clearly in Fig. 2, the structure for suspending this rod comprises. hangers 4e andefi carried by overhead supports 47, and providing mountings for transversely extending rotatable shafts 48 and 49. Bent arms 51 and 52 are fixed to these shafts as by being pinned or riveted thereto, as indicated at 53. The lower or depending ends of'these arms are provided with eyes which receive hinge pins 54 mounts ed in pads or attaching plates 56 secured to the rod 43, thereby providing a pivotal connection 7 between each of the arms 51 and 52 and the feeler member 43; To assure a smooth, easy and yet sensitive movement of this feeler mem-,

ber, the uppervend ofone of the arms, as the arm 51, is provided with a counterweight 57.

7 .The upper end of the other arm 52 is equipped with a laterally ofiset bracket 58, to which is attached a tiltable fluid switch 59 provided with.

contacts 61 and 62. The rotary shaft 49 carries, preferably at a point outside one of its l hangers 46, a radially disposed pin 74, which is adapted upon sufficient rotary'movenient of this shaft to engage a fixed abutment or pin attached to the hanger or other fixed support and thus to limit rotary'movementof this shaft.

Electrical energy is conducted from the mains (Band 64 through afwire 66 to the contact 61, and through another wire 67 to a solenoid 68 and then to the wire: 69, which is attached to the contact 62. A manually operable switch 71 may also be interposed in the line 63, 64. The

, same relative position on the branch conveyor,

the feeler rod 43, due to engagement with the box 76, will be moved forwardly, as shown fiecto'r 14 and moves the latter to one side.

conveyor. It should also be noted that'the guide Fig. 2, and such movement will serve to tilt the switch 59 to complete the circuitfrom the line 63, 64 through this switch and the solenoid 68, thereby energizing the latter and drawing The arrangement of spring 33 assures that .ar- 7 ticles, as the box 77', will not be damaged by having the tongue 29 of arm 28 forced into or against the side of thesamc as would otherwise be the case if the forward end of such ar ticle had passed the tongue before the feeler the intersection its forward end engages the 'de-' As the rear end of the box 76 passes from under the upwardly curved end of the feeler rod 43,

the latter will recede smoothly to its normal position, and in so doing will tilt the switch" 59'to break the circuit therethrcuglnand in this way deenergize the solenoid 68. 'When the feeler rod returns to its normalposition in the path of approaching articles the pin 74 rests against the abutment or pin 75 and'thus prevents overswingingof the rodand assures that the switch '59 will remain open. The tension spring 38 then becomes effective to move the operating arm-26 in a counterclockwise direction to its normal or in'operative'po'sition. This movement is transmitted through the adjusting screw LEG-abutment 37 andyoke 31 to the rotary shaft 13, and thus causes the latter to retract the arm 28' from the path of the box 77, thereby permitting the latter to advance "with the conveyor. As this boxa'dvan'ces it engages the deflector and moves the latter to the position shown-in Fig. liwhere the free end'of the deflector rests firmly'again'st the" side frame '12 of the main conve'yor 1i), and thus thedefiectorprovides a firm guide for directing the box 77'on- 'to' the main 42 of'the branch conveyor is arranged-to coop 'erate withh'diagbnal guide 81 and a' supporta ing plate 82 'for "assisting in guiding articles, such as the box 77, onto the conveyor 10'.

' With apparatus such as that described, it will be observed that'it'is possible to avoid the-use of direct mechanical connections between a'feeler such as the member 43, and article-delaying mechanism/such as the arms 26 and 28 for example. 5 This overcomes quite a serious diiiiculty as itis often desirable to arrange one of the conveyors'; a's the conveyor lfl'for example, immediately adjacent a column or other support which can not conveniently be modified to provide sufficient space for the operating mechanism, or if so modified the. apparatus usually requires special parts of unusual construction which often must be placed in inaccessible positions. While the solenoid 68 has been shown as mounted upon the upper frame member 97; it will be'clear that this solenoid is readily adaptable for mounting in various convenient positions. It will also be evident that it is within thescope of thisinvention. tov reverse the arrangement of the spring 38 and the solenoid 68,-so that the spring tends normally to move the operating arm 26 in a clockwise direction, while the solenoid may be effective for moving the arm in a counterclockwise direction. Moreover, the features of this novel arrangement do not depend entirely'upon the use ofv the sole- 7 1,924,556 I noid, as it is contemplated that an electric or other type of motor-or prime mover of whicha solenoid is to be considered representative, might be made to serve approximately the same purpose as thesolenoid. Many of the advantages of the present invention may be gained by substituting any of the various the solenoid 68.

It should be understood that the: present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the erating arm to the shaft for moving the firstnamed arm into the path of articles, and opposed abutments on the operating and rigid arms,

these abutments being engageable'for retracting the first-named arm from the path of the articles on the conveyor, v

2. Apparatus of the class described comprising conveyors having intersecting paths, a'rotary shaft disposed at one side of one conveyor, an arm fast on this shaft and'movable from a position at one side of this conveyor to a position in the path of articles carried thereby; an operating arm rotatable on this shaft, an arm rigid with the shaft, resilient means between the operating and rigid arms for transmitting force from the operating arm to the shaft for movingthe first-named arm into the path of articles, opposed abutments on the operating and rigid arms, these abutments being engageable for retracting the first-named arm from the path of the articles, and means providing for adjustment of the relative position of at least one of the abutments. a

3. Apparatus of the class described comprising conveyors having intersecting paths, arotary shaft disposed at one side of one conveyor, an arm fast on this shaft and movable froma position at one side of this conveyor to a position in the path of articles carried thereby, an operating arm rotatable on this shaft, an arm rigid with the shaft, resilient means between the operating and rigid arms for transmitting force from the operating arm to the shaft for moving the firstnamed arm into the path of articles, opposed abutments on the operating and rigidarms, these abutments being engageable for retracting the .flrst-named arm, means tending to move the operating arm in one direction, a prime mover for moving the operating arm in the opposite direction, and means for controlling the prime mover in response to movement of articles on the other conveyor.

4. Apparatus of the class described comprising conveyors having intersecting paths, a rotary shaft disposed at one side of one conveyor, an arm fast on this shaft and movable from a positiorT at one side of this conveyor to a position in the path of articles carried thereby, an operating arm rotatable on this shaft,'an arm rigid with the shaft, resilient means. between the operating and rigid arms for transmitting force from the operating arm'to the shaft for moving the first-named arm into the path of articles, op-

types of primemovers for posed abutments on the operating and rigid arms,

these'arms are mounted. r Y v '5; Apparatus of the class described-comprising-conveyors having intersecting" paths, means movable into and out of the path of articlesonr one'co'nveyor, means tending to move the movable means to one of thesewpositions,electromagnetic means for moving the movable means to the other of these positions, a tiltable fluid switch for' controlling the electromjagneticmeans, and

, other movable means depending'into the path of articles on the other conveyor and operable on engagement with such articles for tilting-the switch! these abutments being engageable'forretracting the first-named arm and ,a guide for directing articles along the side of the conveyoron which" 6. Apparatus of the class described comprising conveyors'having intersecting paths, means movable into and out of thepath of articles onv one conveyor, meanstending to move the movable means to one of these positions, electromag'-,

netic means for moving the movable meansto the other of these positions, aftiltable fluid switch for controlling the electromagnetic means, other movable meansextending into the path of articles'on the other conveyor and operable on en' gagement therewith for tilting thefswitch,,and means for limitingtilting movementof the switch to prevent excessive movement thereof.

7. Apparatusof "the class described comprising conveyors having intersecting paths, means movable into and out of the path of articleson one conveyor, means tending to move themovable meansto one of these positions, electromagnetic means for moving the, movable means to the other of these positions, atiltable fluid switch for controlling the electromagnetic means, rotatable shafts disposed transversely above the other conveyor, arms depending from these shafts, the tiltable switch being movable with one of these arms, a member pivotally connected to the lower ends of these arms and disposed longitudinally in the path of articleson the latter conveyor, whereby movement of said member j due to engagement with an article is effective to actuate the switch.

8. Apparatus of theclass described comprising conveyors having intersecting paths, means movtrolling the electromagnetic means, rotatable shafts disposed transversely above the other conveyor, arms extending across these shafts and I afiixed thereto, these arms having their lower ends depending above the conveyor and substantially in alignment longitudinally thereof, the

tiltable switch being movable with one of these arms, a member pivotally connected to the lower ends of these arms and disposed longitudinally in the path of articles onthe latter conveyor, and

a counterweight on the upper end of at least on of the arms 9. Apparatus of theclass described comprising conveyors having intersecting paths, means movable into and out of the'path of articleson one conveyor, means tending to move the movable means to one of these positions, electromagnetic means for moving the movable means to the other of these positions, a tiltable fluid switch forcontrolling the electromagnetic means, rotatable shafts disposed transversely above the other conveyor, arms extending across these shafts and I afiixedz thereto, these arms having their lower ends dependingabove the conveyor andsubstan tially in alignment longitudinally thereof the tiltable switch being mounted on the upper end of one of these arms, a counterweight on the upper end of the other ofthese arms, and a memberpivotally connected to thelower ends of thesearms and disposed longitudinally in the path of articles on the latter conveyor, whereby movement of said member due to engagement with an article may be effective to actuate the switch. v

10. Apparatus of the class described comprising conveyors having intersecting paths, means movable intoand outofthe path of articles on one conveyor,means tending to move the-movable means to one of these positions, electromagnetic means for moving the movable means to the other of these positions, a tiltable fluid switch for con-' trolling the electromagnetic means, rotatable shafts disposed transversely above the other conveyor, arms extending across these ShELftSBJD-d' affixed thereto,. thesearms having their lower ends depending above the conveyor and substantially in alignment longitudinally thereof, the tiltable switch being-mounted on the upper end of one of these arms, an abutment, fast on the shaft on which this arm is mounted, a fixed abutmerit engageable therewith for limiting rotary m mes movement of the shaft and thereby preventingex cessive movement of the switch, a counterweight on the upper end of-the other arm, and'a member pivotally connected to the lowerends of these arms and disposed longitudinally in the path of articles on the latter conveyor whereby movement'of said position, means for rotating said shaft to move the arm into its movement-preventing position including. a rod normally inithe path of travel of articles on the other conveyor and hangers for said rod, electromagnetic means connected to said shaft rotating means, and aswitch carried by one of said rods, which switch when therod is contacted by an article Von-the other conveyor closes a ,circuit by which the electromagnetic means is energized causing the rotation of the shaft and, movement of-the arm into'its movement-preventing position. v

CHESTER S. JENNINGS.

LOUIS E. DUPUY, 

